BIRD  AND  ARBOR  DAY  FOR  1911 

IN  THE  SCHOOLS  Of  CALIFORNIA. 


Boy  Making   Bird   Boxes  at   School. 


WHAT   THE  LAW  SAYS: 

The   Legislature   of   California   placed   the   following   law  upon  its   statute 
^oks  in   1909: 

AN  ACT  TO  ESTABLISH  A  BIRD  AND   ARBOR  DAY. 

•e  people  of  the  State  of  California,  represented  in  senate  and  assembly,  do  enact  as  follows: 
SECTION  1.  March  7th  of  each  year,  being  the  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Luther 
rbank,  is  hereby  set  apart  and  designated  bird  and  arbor  clay. 

All   public   schools  and   educational   institutions   are   directed   to   observe   bird   and  arbor   clay, 
i  as  a  holiday,   but  by  including  in  the  school  work  of  the  day  suitable  exercises  having  for 
ir  object   instruction   as   to   the   economic   value   of   birds   and   trees,   and   the   promotion   of   a 
rit  of  protection  towards  them. 
SEC.   2.     This  act  shall  take  effect  from  and  after   its  passage. 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


ISSUED   BY    EDWAKD   HYATT, 
SUPERINTENDENT   OF    PUBLIC   INSTRUCTION. 


Gift 


SACRAMENTO  : 
W.  W.  SHANNON,  STATE  PRINTER. 


TO  THE  TEACHERS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  The  day  is  approaching  that  our  law  has  set 
as  a  Bird  and  Arbor  Day  in  the  schools  of  this  State.  I  am  sending 
out  this  little  reminder  in  the  hope  that  it  will  serve  not  only  to  remind 
but  to  help  your  schools  in  observing  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  letter  of 
the  law. 

Two  years  ago  we  issued  an  Arbor  Day  Manual  at  some  length, 
which  is  still  to  be  had  for  the  asking,  in  limited  numbers.  Xow  we 
had  planned  a  similar  booklet  for  the  birds  ;  but  a  stringency  in  our 
printing  fund  cuts  it  to  these  few  pages.  Next  year  perhaps  we  shall 
be  able  to  do  more.  Airs.  Harriett  W.  Myers,  the  secretary  of  the 
Audubon  Society,  has  been  kind  enough  to  prepare  abundant  material 
for  us  to  choose  from  for  these  purposes. 

I  trust  that  you  will  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  it  is  really  a  patriotic 
duty  you  owe  to  the  commonwealth,  to  plant  in  the  minds  of  the  young 
people  in  your  charge  some  conception  of  the  part  that  the  trees  and  the 
birds  play  in  our  national  life.  They  are  vital  elements  in  our  prosperity 
for  all  time  to  come.  Ignorant  destructiveness  is  a  characteristic  of  our 
time,  of  our  people.  An  appreciation  of  the  economic  value  of  our 
forests  and  the  wild  life  that  surrounds  them  is  greatly  to  be  desired  in 
the  rank  and  file  of  our  citizenry.  In  fact,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  success  of  our  land  in  the  future.  Where  will  it  come  from  if  not 
through  the  Teachers? 

Very  truly  yours, 

EDWARD  HYATT, 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction. 


544150 


GREETING  FROM  THE  GOVERNOR  OF  THE  STATE. 

The  following  message  from  the  Governor  to  the  School  Children, 
prepared  by  himself  expressly  for  this  purpose,  will  be  of  interest  to 
every  one  concerned  in  the  observance  of  the  day.  It  will  be  an  appro- 
priate feature  of  the  program,  read  or  spoken  by  the  teacher  or  by  one 
of  the  pupils. 


EXECUTIVE   DEPARTMENT, 

STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Sacramento,  February  22,  1911 

Boys  and  Girls  of  California: 

The  legislature  has  most  fittingly  set 
aside  the  seventh  day  of  March,  the  birthday 
of  our  distinguished  fellow  citizen,  Luther 
Burbank,  as  "Bird  and  Arbor  Day."   The  love 
of  birds  and  trees  is  one  of  the  healthiest 
emotions  of  the  human  heart.   It  may  well  be 
cultivated.   There  is  no  more  innocent  and 
no  more  gratifying  source  of  enjoyment  than 
intelligent  interest  in  the  beauties  of 
nature.   California  is  pre-eminently  rich  in 
them.  Learn  to  know  the  calls  and  plumage 
of  our  birds,  the  varying  foliage  of  our 
trees  ;  grow  to  love  the  quiet  places  where 
they  may  best  be  studied  and  you  will  be 
happier  and  better  citizens  of  our  great 
State. 

Yours  sincerely, 

HIRAM.  W.  JOHNSON, 

Governor, 


MESSAGE  FROM  BURBANK. 

Since  our  Arbor  Day  is  also  the  birthday  of  a  famous  California 
gardener,  it  is  peculiarly  appropriate  that  we  should  begin  with  a  greet- 
ing from  him  to  the  people  who  meet  to  celebrate  the  day.  It  was 
specially  written  for  this  purpose. 

BURBANK'S 
EXPERIMENTAL  FARM. 

Santa  Rosa,  Cal.,  Jan.  17,  1911. 

The  plan  for  having  children  learn  to 
love,  care  for,  and  cultivate  flowers  and 
trees  and  to  aid  in  the  protection  of  the 
birds  who  help  us  protect  the  trees,  has  my 
most  hearty  sympathy. 

On  the  protection  and  care  of  all  these 
depends  the  happiness,  health,  and  even  the 
life  of  the  race.   Children  with  a  little  en- 
couragement very  naturally  learn  to  love  and 
care  for  the  pleasing  objects  of  nature  like 
plants  and  the  more  animate  ones  in  fur  and 
feathers.  The  life  of  any  child  is  made 
broader,  sweeter,  more  gentle  and  kind  by  an 
intimate  knowledge  and  sympathy  with  them. 

LUTHER  BURBANK. 

MEADOW  LARK. 

These  musical  stanzas  were  written  by  A.  J.  Waterhouse,  a  California  poet. 

It  sang,  and  'twas  as  heaven's  door 

Some   angel   hand   had   left  ajar, 
And  from  its  portals  straight  did  pour 

Rare  music  borne  from  star  to  star. 
It  sang,  and  every  dreamy  vale 

Was  sweeter  for  its  liquid  voice, 
And  echoing  hills  took  up  the  tale, 

While  zephyrs  whispered  low, 
"Rejoice." 

Oh,  breast  of  gold,  thy  limpid  note 

Is  still  more  golden  than  thy  breast, 
And  from  thy  tiny,  feathered  throat 

Ring  melodies  of  life  the  best. 
There  is  no  fairy  vale  so  sweet 

But  thou  dost  make  it  sweeter  still, 
And  elfin  sprite  of  music  meet 

Where  thou  art  found  to  do  thy  will; 
Rejoice. 


CALIFORNIA  BIRDS  AND  THE  FRUIT  INDUSTRY. 


This  article,  by  one  of  the  experts  of  the   Biological   Survey,  will  be  suitable  for  a  reading, 
or  it  may  be  broken   into  short  paragraphs  and  spoken   by  the  successive  members  of  a   class. 


"In  no  State  in  the  Union  is  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  relations 
of  birds  to  agriculture  more  important  than  in  California.  Climate 
and  soil  combine  to  make  California  an  important  grain  and  fruit 
producing  State.  The  acreage  already  devoted  to  agriculture  is  large 
and  is  likely  to  increase  for  decades  to  come,  as  population  increases 
and  as  new  cultural  methods  are  developed  and  irrigation  is  extended, 
insects  that  now  attract  little  attention  are  likely  to  increase  and  become 
serious  pests.  Certain  birds  formerly  accustomed  to  a  diet  consisting 
partly  of  wild  fruits,  the  supply  of  which  is  limited  and  likely  to  become 
smaller,  will  probably  invade  orchards  and  injure  cultivated  fruit. 
Hence  it  is  worth  while  for  the  farmer  and  orchardist  to  learn  as  much 
as  possible  of  the  food  of  the  birds  that  harbor  near  his  premises,  that 
he  may  know  how  much  good  each  species  does  and  how  much  harm, 
and  so  be  enabled  to  strike  a  fair  balance. 

Some  birds,  like  the  swallows,  swifts,  wrens,  and  chickadees,  are 
so  strictly  insectivorous  that  they  are  exceedingly  beneficial.  All  they 
require  at  the  hands  of  man  in  return  for  their  services  is  protection. 
Others  at  some  time  of  the  year  injure  crops,  though  the  damage  of 
many  is  exceedingly  small.  Be  the  loss  what  it  may,  howrever,  if  a 
given  species  by  its  insectivorous  habits  prevents  much  greater  destruc- 
tion than  it  inflicts,  the  farmer  should  be  willing  to  bear  the  loss  for  the 
sake  of  the  greater  gain. 

Few  birds  are  always  and  everywhere  so  seriously  destructive  that 
their  extermination  can  be  urged  on  sound  economic  principles.  Only 
four  of  the  species  common  in  California  can  be  regarded  as  of  doubt- 
ful utility:  These  are  the  Linnet,  California  Jay,  Steller  Jay,  and  Red- 
breasted  Sapsucker;  When  the  known  methods  of  protecting  fruit  have 
been  exhausted,  or  cannot  be  employed  profitably,  then  a  reasonable 
reduction  of  the  numbers  of  the  offending  birds  is  permissible.  But 
the  more  the  food  habits  of  birds  are  studied  the  more  evident  is  the 
fact  that  with  a  normal  distribution  of  species  and  a  fair  supply  of 
natural  food,  the  damage  to  agricultural  products  by  birds  is  small 
compared  with  the  benefit. 

A  reasonable  way  of  viewing  the  relation  of  birds  to  the  farmer  is 
to  consider  the  birds  as  servants,  employed  to  destroy  weeds  and 
insects.  In  return  for  this  service  they  should  be  protected,  and  such 
as  need  it  should  receive  a  fair  equivalent  in  the  shape  of  fruit  and  small 
grain.  Nothing  can  be  more  certain  than  that,  except  in  a  few  cases, 


any  farmer  who  is  willing  to  pay  the  toll  collected  by  birds  for  actual 
services  rendered  will  be  vastly  benefited.  In  the  long  run,  no  part  of 
the  capital  invested  in  farm  or  orchard  is  more  certain  to  pay  big  interest 
than  the  small  sum  required  for  the  care  and  protection  of  birds/' 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  MOCKING  BIRD. 


This  remarkable  bit  of  descriptive  writing  is  by  Theodore  Roosevelt.  It  may  well  serve 
as  a  recitation  or  a  reading  worth  careful  preparation  and  appreciative  delivery.  It  is  too 
good  to  butcher  with  slovenly  enunciation  or  careless  work. 


"The  mocking  bird  is  a  singer  that  has  suffered  much  from  its  powers 
of  mimicry.  On  ordinary  occasions,  and  especially  in  the  daytime,  it 
insists  on  playing  the  harlequin.  Brit  when  free  in  its  own  favorite 
haunts  at  night,  it  has  a  song,  or  rather  songs,  which  are  not  only  purely 
original,  but  are  also  more  beautiful  than  any  other  bird  music  whatever. 
Once  I  listened  to  a  mocking  bird  singing  the  livelong  spring  night, 
under  the  full  moon  in  a  magnolia  tree ;  and  I  do  not  think  that  I  shall 
ever  forget  his  song.  The  great  tree  was  bathed  in  a  flood  of  shining 
silver ;  I  could  see  each  twig  and  mark  every  action  of  the  singer  who 
was  pouring  forth  such  a  rapture  of  ringing  melody  as  I  have  never 
listened  to  before  or  since.  Sometimes  he  would  perch  motionless  for 
many  minutes,  his  body  thrilling  with  the  outpour  of  music.  Then  he 
would  drop  softly  from  twig  to  twig  till  the  lowest  limb  was  reached, 
when  he  would  rise,  fluttering  through  the  branches,  his  song  never 
ceasing  for  an  instant  until  he  reached  the  summit  of  the  tree  and 
launched  into  the  warm  scent-laden  air,  floating  in  spirals,  with  out- 
spread wings,  until,  as  if  spent,  he  sank  gently  back  into  the  tree  and 
down  through  the  branches  while  his  song  rose,  into  an  ecstacy  of  ardor 
and  passion.  His  voice  rang  like  a  clarionet  in  rich,  full  tones,  and  his 
execution  covered  the  widest  possible  compass ;  theme  followed  theme, 
a  torrent  of  music,  a  swelling  tide  of  harmony,  in  which  scarcely  any 
two  bars  were  alike.  I  stayed  till  midnight  listening  to  him ;  he  was 
singing  when  I  went  to  sleep,  he  was  still  singing  when  I  awoke  a  couple 
of  hours  later;  he  sang  through  the  livelong  night/' 


AN  IMPORTANT  MATTER. 

Dr.  David  Starr  Jordan,  President  of  the  Audubon  Society  of  Cali- 
fornia, has  said  of  our  work :  "I  believe  that  the  preservation  of  the 
bird  is  one  of  the  most  important  matters  of  public  interest  claiming  our 
attention,  far  outweighing  in  real  import  most  of  the  questions  upon 
which  we  spend  our  time  and  strength." 


—  8  — 


HOW  TO  PROTECT  THE  ORCHARDS. 

"It  would  seem  most  desirable  that  some  of  the  available  fruit  bearing 
trees,  the  fruits  of  which  are  of  little  or  no  value  to  man,  but  which 
to  birds  are  even  more  acceptable  than  cultivated  kinds,  should  be  freely 
introduced  into  California  for  the  protection  of  the  orchardist.  That 
some  of  them  would  thrive  there  hardly  admits  of  a  doubt.  The 
Russian  mulberry,  is  one  of  the  best,  the  fruit  having  little  value  unless 
as  food  for  birds.  All  fruit-eating  species  are  fond  of  it.  Both  the 
red  and  black  mulberries  are  equally  sought  after,  but  are  not  often 
planted  for  birds  alone.  The  paper  mulberry  is  hardy  and  is  a  favorite 
bird  food.  Several  species  of  cherry,  including  the  choke  cherry  and 
especially  its  western  form,  the  black  cherry,  and  the  bird  cherry  are 
of  great  value  in  protecting  fruit  crops,  birds  almost  invariably  selecting 
their  fruit  in  preference  to  the  cultivated  varieties.  There  are  also 
several  varieties  of  ornamental  cherries,  such  as  the  European  bird 
cherry,  which  are  hardy  and  valuable  as  bird  foods.  Both  the  pepper 
tree  and  the  elder,  now  abundant  in  California,  are  eaten  by  many  birds, 
and  both  may  be  planted  near  orchards  with  the  certainty  that  they, 
will  serve  to  protect  them. 

Another  measure  recommended  for  the  protection  of  orchard  fruit 
is  a  supply  of  water  accessible  to  the  birds.  Drinking  places  for  birds 
in  every  large  orchard  would  tend  to  reduce  the  injury  done  to  fruit, 
and  would  serve  the  added  purpose  of  attracting  insectivorous  birds 
to  the  locality.  Birds  undoubtedly  select  breeding  places  with  reference 
to  the  conveniences  of  food  and  water,  and  a  constant  supply  of  the 
latter  attracts  to  the  vicinity  many  desirable  species.  The  insectivorous 
kinds  would  more  than  pay  the  orchardist  for  his  trouble  in  their  behalf 
by  feeding  upon  the  insects  that  injure  his  trees ;  while  fruit-eating 
species,  like  the  linnet,  being  able  to  quench  their  thirst  with  water, 
\vould  not  be  compelled  to  resort  to  fruit  for  this  purpose. 

The  writer  once  observed  a  leaky  hydrant  situated  between  two  rather 
extensive  areas  of  orchards.  The  little  pool  maintained  by  the  drip 
of  the  pipe  was  almost  constantly  surrounded  by  birds  which  all  the 
time  were  coming  and  going,  so  that  the  number  that  visited  it  each 
day  must  have  been  well  up  in  the  thousands.  An  arrangement  for 
this  purpose  need  be  neither  elaborate  nor  expensive,  and  would  serve 
a  useful  purpose." 

F.  E.  L.  BSAI,,. 
Assistant,  Biological  Survey. 


BATHING  POOL  FOR  THE  BIRDS. 

By   Harriett   W.    Myers. 


Bird  pools  or  fountains  are  most  desirable.  An  inexpensive  pool 
may  be  made  by  any  ingenious  boy.  Scoop  out  the  earth  the  desired 
size  of  pool,  say  three  feet  in  diameter.  Replace  this  earth  with  a 
lining-  of  stones,  which  can  usually  be  picked  up  near  by.  Cover  this 
over  with  cement,  made  by  using  equal  parts  of  sand  and  cement, 
moistened,  smoothing  it  nicely  and  finishing  off  the  edges  over  the  stones 
to  make  a  neat  job.  Then  cover  it  for  a  few  days  and  keep  it  moist 


Cement    Bird    Bath    Easily    Made    by    Boy. 

so  that  the  cement  will  not  set  too  quickly  and  by  so  doing  crack.  Care 
should  be  taken  in  making  this  basin  not  to  have  it  more  than  three 
inches  deep  in  center,  the  edges  being  still  shallower.  If  it  is  too  deep 
the  birds  will  not  bathe  in  it.  This  basin  should  either  have  in  its  center 
a  hydrant  which  can  be  left  to  drip  and  thus  keep  water  fresh,  or  at  its 
side.  It  will  need  to  be  swept  out  often  as  these  bird  pools  are  also 
favorite  resting  places  for  toads  who  soon  pollute  the  water. 


BOB  WHITE. 


The  Bob  White  is  not  a  California  quail,  but  it  is  so  widely  known 
and  has  such  a  place  in  current  literature  that  California  children  should 
know  something  about  it.  Its  clear  note  is  one  of  the  most  familiar 


—  10  — 

sounds  of  the  eastern  states.  This  recitation  could  be  made  very 
interesting  and  realistic  to  the  children  if  the  "Bob  White"  should  be 
whistled  each  time  instead  of  spoken.  Some  one  in  the  neighborhood 
will  be  able  to  give  an  example  of  the  Bob  White's  whistle. 

BOB  WHITE. 

"I  own  the  country  hereabout,"  says  Bob  White; 

"At  early  morn   I   gayly  shout,  I'm  Bob  White! 

From    stubble    field    and    stake-rail    fence 

You    hear   me    call    without    offense, 

I'm  Bob  White!     Bob  White! 

Sometimes  I  think  I'll  ne'er  more  say  Bob  White; 

It   often   gives   me   quite   away,   does   Bob  White; 

And   mate   and    I    and   our   young   brood, 

When    separate,    wandering   through    the   wood, 

Are   killed   by   sportsmen   I   invite 

By   my   clear    voice — Bob   White!    Bob   White! 

Still,  don't  you  find  I  am  out  of  sight 

While   I   am   saying   Bob  White,   Bob  White?" 

—Charles  C.  Marble. 


SOME  BIRD  RIDDLES. 

An  amusing  exercise  can  be  made  of  this  by  a  class  of  thirty  children 
or  less.  Have  each  child  recite  a  line — then  the  whole  class  give  the 
answer  together — or,  vice  versa.  Cut  out  as  many  lines  as  necessary 
to  fit  the  class. 

1.  There's  a  bird  whose  name  tells  if  he  flies  fast  or  slow.  Swift. 

2.  One  which  boys  use  when  with   long  strides  they  go.  Stilt. 

3.  There  is   one   that  tells   tales   although   he   can't   sing.  Tattler. 

4.  And  one  that  flies  high,  but  is  held  by  a  string.  Kite. 

5.  By  one  a  high  rank  in  the  army  is  held:  Adjutant. 

6.  There's  another  whose  name  by  one  letter  is   spelled.  Jay. 

7.  There  is  one  that  a  farmer  in  harvest  would  use.  Thrasher. 

8.  And  one  you  can  easily  fool  if  you  choose.  Gull. 

9.  What  bird,  at  dessert,  is  it  useful  to  hold?  Nut-cracker. 

10.  And  which   in   the   chimney  place   off  hung  of  old?  Crane. 

11.  Which  bird  wears  a  bit  of  sky  in  its   dress?  Blue  bird. 

12.  Which  one  always   stands  in  the  corner  at  chess?  Rook. 

13.  There  is  one  built  a  church  of  London  the  pride,  Wren. 

14.  We  have  one  when  we  walk  with  a  friend  by  our  side.  Chat. 

15.  What  bird  would  its  bill  find  useful  at  tea,  Spoon-bill. 

16.  And  which  would  its  tail  use  to  steer  with  at  sea?  Rudder  cluck. 

17.  Which   proudly   a   musical   instrument   wears?  Lyre   bird. 

18.  And  which  the  same  name  as  a  small  island  bears?  Canary. 

19.  Which  bird  is  called  foolish,  and  stupid,  and  silly?  Loon. 

20.  And  which  always  wanting  to  punish  poor  Billy?  Whippoorwill. 

21.  Which  bird  is  an  artisan,  works  at  his   trade?  Weaver. 

22.  And  which  is  the  stuff  of  which  flags  are  made?  Bunting. 

23.  One,  we're  told  by  the  poet,  at  Heaven's  gate  sings;  Lark. 


—  11  — 

24.  There's   one   which   in   Holland   the   new   baby  brings.  Stork. 

25.  What  bird  have  we  with  us  in  eating  and  drinking?  Swallow. 

26.  One,  used  for  a  fence,  you  can  say  without  thinking.  Rail. 

27.  What  bird  is  a  scoffer,  a  scorner,  a  jest?  Mocking  bird. 

28.  Which  one  is  too  lazy  to  build  her,  own  nest?  Cuckoo. 

29.  From  a  high  wind  at  evening  one  name  is  inferred.  Nightingale. 

30.  Guess  these  and  you're  wise  as  Minerva's  own  bird.  Owl 

— Alabama  Bird  Day  Book. 


THE  ACCESSORY. 


Recitation   for   One   Child   or   Four   Children. 


She  went  to  church  in  holy  zeal, 

With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 
She  paused,  while  on  the  steps  to  kneel, 

With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 
The  parson  preached,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill," 
And  God  she  thanked,  with  conscious  thrill 
That  she,  good  soul,  had  done  no  ill — 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  loved  to  hear   the  birdling  sing, 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  loved  to  watch  them  free  awing, 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  thought  how  sad  the  world  would  be 

If  ne'er  their  plumage  we  might  see 

Or  hear  their  warblings  in  the  tree — 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  held  her  home  the  dearest,  best, 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 
She  called  her  little  home  her  "nest," 

With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 
Her  brood    she   circled   with   her   arm 
To  keep  each  happy  child  from  harm. 
To    still   her   own    strange,   vague   alarm — 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  could  not  bear  death's  form  to  see, 
With  a  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

She  could  not  look  on  cruelty, 

With  a  dead   bird   on  her  hat. 

She  wept  at  others'  sufferings, 

She  gave  her  life  to  holy  things, 

And  wore  the  "loveliest  of  wings — 
A  dead  bird  on  her  hat. 

— Douglas  Malloch. 


—  12  — 


THE    DESTRUCTION    OF    BIRDS, 

For  the  milliners'  trade  is  appalling".  Every  year  millions  of  birds 
are  slaughtered  to  fill  the  demands  for  the  ornamentation  of  the  hats 
of  women.  During  a  period  of  four  months  20,000  of  these  beautiful 
creatures  were  supplied  to  New  York  dealers  from  a  single  village.  It 
has  been  proved  that  in  Europe  150,000,000  birds  are  used  for  the  trade 
annually.  A  party  of  Japanese  recently  killed  more  than  300,000  birds 
on  an  island  belonging  to  the  United  States,  in  mid-Pacific.  When 
found  by  officers  who  went  from  Honolulu  to  stop  this  wholesale  bird 
destruction,  these  poachers  had  335  cases  of  plumage,  all  intended  for 
the  millinery  trade.  The  most  beautiful  species  of  birds  in  many  parts 
of  the  world  are  being  exterminated  because  of  this  foolish  and  bar- 
barous fashion  of  feather  wearing.  At  the  plume  auctions  held  in 
London  during  the  last  half  of  1907  there  were  catalogued  19,742  skins 
of  Birds  of  Paradise  and  the  plumes  of  115,000  nesting  Herons,  besides 
feathers  and  skins  of  almost  every  known  species  of  ornamental  birds. 


THE  NORTH  STORY  OF  HOW  THE  ROBIN  GOT  ITS  RED  BREAST. 

Here  is  a  fine  exercise  for  story-telling.  Let  some  girl  or  boy  read  it 
carefully  and  understandingly  and  then  tell  it  to  the  teacher ;  not  making 
an  effort  to  commit  it  to  memory  but  telling  the  story.  Then  tell  it  to 
the  folks  at  home.  Then  tell  it  in  the  school.  Then  tell  it  numerously 
to  every  one  who  will  listen.  How  many  times  does  any  one  tell  his 
favorite  story  ?  Many  tellings  make  a  story  better.  The  youngster  who 
prepares  a  story  in  this  way  will  get  a  more  valuable  lesson  in  language 
than  can  be  found  in  books. 

Long  ago,  in  the  far  north,  where  it  was  very  cold,  there  was  only  one 
fire.  An  old  man  and  his  little  son  took  care  of  this  fire  and  kept  it  burning 
day  and  night.  They  knew  that  if  all  the  fire  went  out  all  the  people 
would  freeze  and  the  white  bear  would  have  the  Northland  all  to  himself. 

One  day  the  old  man  became  very  ill,  so  that  his  son  had  everything 
to  do.  For  many  days  and  nights  the  boy  bravely  took  care  of  his  father 
and  kept  the  fire  burning.  At  last  he  got  so  tired  and  sleepy  that  he 
could  no  longer  walk.  Now,  the  white  bear  was  always  watching  the  fire. 
He  longed  for  the  time  when  he  should  have  the  Northland  all  to  himself. 
When  he  saw  how  tired  and  sleepy  the  little  boy  was,  he  stayed  close  to 
the  fire  and  laughed  to  himself.  One  night  the  poor  little  boy  could  keep 
awake  no  longer  and  fell  fast  asleep.  Then  the  white  bear  ran  as  fast  as 
he  could  and  jumped  upon  the  fire  with  his  wet  feet  and  rolled  upon  it. 
At  last  he  thought  it  was  all  out  and  went  happily  away  to  his  cave.  But 
a  gay  robin  had  been  flying  near  and  had  seen  what  the  white  bear  was 
doing.  She  waited  until  the  bear  had  gone  away.  Then  she  flew  down  and 
searched  with  her  sharp  little  eyes  until  she  found  a  tiny  little  spark. 
For  a  long  time  she  patiently  fanned  this  tiny  spark  with  her  wings.  Her 
little  breast  wras  scorched  red,  but  she  did  not  give  up.  After  a  while  a 


—  13  — 

fine,  red  blaze  sprang  up.  Then  she  flew  away  to  every  hut  in  the  North- 
land. Everywhere  that  she  touched  the  ground,  a  fire  began  to  burn.  So 
that  soon  instead  of  one  little  fire,  the  whole  Northland  was  lighted  up.  Now, 
all  that  the  white  bear  could  do  was  to  go  back  further  into  his  cave  and 
growl.  For  now,  indeed,  he  knew  that  the  Northland  was  not  all  for  him. 
And  this  is  the  reason  why  the  people  in  the  north  country  love  the 
robin.  And  they  are  never  tired  of  telling  their  children  how  it  got  its  red 
breast. — Flora  Cook's  Myths. 


BIRD  TRADES. 


For   Seven   Small   Children. 

The    swallow    is    a    mason, 

And    underneath    the    eaves 
He   builds   a   nest  and   plasters   it 

With    mud    and    hay    and    leaves. 

The   woodpecker   is   hard   at   work; 

A    carpenter    is    he; 
And   you   may    find   him   hammering 

His  house  high  up  a  tree. 

The   bullfinch   knows   and   practices 

The    basket-maker's    trade; 
See    what    a    cradle    for    his    young 

The    little    thing    has    made. 

Of   all    the   weavers   that    I    know, 
The  oriole  is  the  best : 
High    on    the    apple    tree    he    weaves 
A    cozy    little    nest. 

The  goldfinch  is  a  fuller; 

A    skillful    workman    he! 
Of    wool    and    threads    he    makes    a    nest 
That    you    would    like    to    see. 

Some   little   birds   are   miners; 

Some    build    upon    the    ground; 
And    busy    little    tailors,    too, 

Among   the    birds    are    found. 

The    cuckoo    laughs    to    see    them   work; 

"Not   so,"   he   says,   "we   do, 
My    wife    and    I    take    other's    nests, 

And    live    at    ease — cuckoo!" 

— Anna  B.   Thomas. 


—  14  — 


THE  BOY  AND  THE  SPARROW. 

Once   a   sweet  boy  sat  and  swung-  on  a  limb; 
On  the  ground  stood  a  sparrow  bird  looking  at  him. 
Now  the  boy  he  was  good,  but  the  sparrow  was  bad, 
So  he  shied  a  big  stone  at  the  head  of  the  lad, 
And  it  killed  the  poor  boy,  and  the  sparrow  was  glad. 

Then  the  little  boy's  mother  flew  over  the  trees — 
"Tell  me,  where  is  my  little  boy,  sparrow-bird,  please?" 
"He   is   safe   in   my   pocket,"   the   sparrow-bird   said, 
And  another  stone  shied  at  the  fond  mother's  head, 
And  she  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  wicked  bird,  dead. 

You  imagine,  no  doubt,  that  the  tale  I  have  mixed, 
But  it  wasn't  by  me  that  the  story  was  fixed; 
'Twas  a  dream  a  boy  had  after  killing  a  bird, 
And  he  dreamed  it  so  loud  that   I  heard  every  word, 
And  I  jotted  it  down  as  it  really  occurred. 

— Good  Words. 


THE  LITTLE  BROWN  CREEPER. 


By  a   California   Poet,    Dr.    Garrett    Newkirk   of    Pasadena. 


"Although  I'm  a  bird,  I  give  you  my  word 
That   seldom   you'll   know  me   to   fly; 

For    I    have    a    notion   about    locomotion, 
The  little   Brown   Creeper  am  I, 
Dear  little   Brown   Creeper  am   I. 

"Beginning  below,  I  search  as  I  go 
The  trunks  and  the  limbs  of  a  tree, 

For  a  fly  or  a  slug,  a  beetle  or  bug; 
They're  better  than  candy  for  me, 
Far  better  than  candy  for  me. 

''When  people  are  nigh  I'm  apt  to  be  shy, 

And  say  to  myself,  'I  will  hide,' 
Continue   my  creeping,  but   carefully   keeping 

Away  on   the   opposite   side, 

Well  around  on  the  opposite  side. 

"Yet  sometimes  I  peek  while  I  play  hide-and-seek 
If  you're  nice  I   shall   >vish  to  see  you; 

I'll  make  a  faint  sound  and  come  quite  around 
And  creep  like  a  mouse  in  full  view, 
Very  much  like  a  mouse  to  your  view." 


-  15  - 
A  NATIONAL  BENEFACTOR. 


By  Harriett  Williams  Myers,  in  Youth's  Companion. 


This  will  be  of  special  interest  since  cotton  is  coming-  to  be  one  of 
California's  crops. 

Economically,  the  swallow  is  one  of  our  best  friends,  and  as  such 
should  be  protected.  Horse-flies,  house-flies,  gnats,  codling-moths, 
canker-worm  moths,  leaf-rolling  moths,  grasshoppers,  plant  lice,  spiders, 
cabbage-butterflies,  chick-beetles,  winged  ants,  rose-  and  May-beetles, 
striped  cucumber-bettles,  cotton-boll  weevils — these  are  a  few  of  the 
injurious  insects  that  the  birds  of  the  swallow  family  live  upon. 

Oliver  Goldsmith  in  his  "History  of  Animate  Nature"  speaks  of  the 
good  these  birds  do,  thus  showing  that  even  at  that  time,  when  little 
was  known  about  them,  they  were  appreciated.  But  recently  they  have 
?.ssume'd  national  importance  because  of  their  great  service  in  checking 
the  danger  threatened  by  the  cotton-boll  weevil.  It  has  been  estimated 
that,  in  favorable  circumstances,  a  single  pair  of  these  weevils  will  in 
one  season  raise  a  family  of  twenty-nine  or  thirty  millions. 

The  female  lays  about  one  hundred  and  forty  eggs,  depositing  each 
egg  in  a  different  boll  of  cotton.  The  boll  is  punctured,  the  egg 
deposited,  and  the  insect  passes  on  to  another. 

No  cotton  comes  from  a  boll  thus  "stung."  Rather  it  shrivels  and 
dies  while  furnishing  food  for  the  growing  worm.  This  pest  is  spread- 
ing at  the  rate  of  fifty  miles  a  year,  and  unless  methods  can  be  found 
to  arrest  its  progress,  it  will  eventually  infest  the  entire  cotton-producing 
area.  The  Biological  Survey  has  found  thirty-eight  kinds  of  birds 
which  feed  upon  these  weevils.  Foremost  among  these  are  the  several 
species  of  swallows. 


A  GREAT  ASSET. 

The  wild  birds  of  California  are  one  of  the  State's  important  assets. 
They  control  vast  hordes  of  insects,  that  would,  without  such  control, 
destroy  a  great  part  of  the  soil  products  that  add  annually  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  wealth  of  the  State.  That  this  control 
is  not  more  effective  in  many  localities  is  because  the  wild  birds  have 
been,  and  are  still  being,  destroyed  by  the  ignorant,  the  mercenary  and 
the  wantonly  cruel. 


-16- 


J-'WHY  BIRDS  SHOULD  BE  PROTECTED. 

*         ^ 

Reading  or  Recitation   for  a   Class  of   Six  or   for  a   Single   Pupil. 


It  has  been  estimated  that  the  damage  caused  annually  in  three  states 
alone  by  the  codling  moth  amounts  to  nearly  $8,000,000.  The  moth 
spoils  from  25  to  75  per  cent  of  the  apple  crop  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  each  year. 

Statistics  from  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1904 
show  a  tax  of  more  than  a  thousand  million  dollars  imposed  upon  the 
people  of  the  United  States  by  insects  during  that  year. 

Certain  moths  deposit  hundreds  of  eggs  in  a  season  and  were  each 
egg  to  hatch  and  each  insect  to  come  to  maturity  and  go  on  producing 
at  the  same  rate  the  entire  earth  in  a  few  years  would  be  carpeted  with 
crawling  caterpillars  and  the  moths  in  flight  would  cover  the  earth  like 
a  blanket  of  fog,  and  in  four  years  the  foliage  of  the  United  States 
would  be  destroyed. 

In  giving  a  description  of  conditions  after  a  volcanic  eruption,  which 
occurred  in  Guatemala,  a  coffee  planter  said :  "One  of  our  greatest 
troubles  was  that  of  sickness,  owing  to  the  balance  of  nature  having 
been  upset  by  the  eruption,  which  having  killed  all  the  birds  for  some 
hundreds  of  miles,  enabled  the  flies,  mosquitoes  and  rats  to  multiply  to 
such  an  extent  that  life  to  man  became  nearly  unbearable.  The  imme- 
diate consequence  was  an  epidemic  of  malaria,  which  cost  more  lives 
than  the  eruption  itself — many  times  more.  It  has  passed  away,  hap- 
pily ;  the  birds  having  come  again,  the  breeding  of  these  pests  is  checked 
and  the  district  again  enjoys  the  excellent  reputation  for  health  that  it' 
deservedly  had  before." 

Authorities  have  observed  one  pair  of  grosbeaks  feed  their  voting 
in  one  day  of  eleven  hours,  Boo  larvae  of  insects.  Three  thousand  ante 
have  been  found  in  the  stomach  of  a  "flicker"  at  one  time.  Five  hun 
dred  mosquitoes  were  counted  in  the  stomach  of  a  nighthawk.  A  pail 
of  nesting  wrens  took  more  .than  600.  insects  from  a  garden  in  one  day 
Swallows  eat  more  than  1,000  flies  a  day.  The  stomach  of  a  quail  hek 
100  potato  beetles.  Another  had  eaten  500  chinch  bugs. 

Bird  authorities  of  Massachusetts  estimate  one  day's  work  by  th( 
birds  in  that  state  to  be  the  destruction  of  21,000  bushels  of  insects 
In  Nebraska  170  carloads  of  insects  are  destroyed  each  day.  Whih 
thousands  of  insects  are  destroyed  through  other  natural  agencies,  jus, 
think  for  a  moment  of  the  number  of  insects  all  the  birds  in  the  whol( 
United  States  might  destroy  in  one  day  and  in  one  year. — C.  A.  Stebbins 


